Feisty Little Miss
by O.C's make me look good
Summary: Edwina Patelli (or E.D) is the new kid in school. A near-mute artist/poet, she has a quick temper and even quicker fists. How will Edd react to her unimpressed, flippant attitude towards his bullying and not-always-so-subtle advances? Why does she already live alone at age seventeen? Will I answer these questions? Just teasing; of course I will. High school eene, R!Edd
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Edwina Patelli (E.D) is my O.C and this is the first story she's making an appearance in, so I guess I'll let you discover what she's like and what she's been through throughout the story. If there's anything you would like to know about her that I don't put in, I'm more than happy to answer any questions (preferably on Tumblr - see next sentence). If you would like to see what I imagined her as, feel free to go to my Tumblr - (just a bit of casual self-promotion, because I can). If you're reading this I already adore you, so thank you, thank you, thank you and please tell me what you think. I'll shut up now. Enjoy!**

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"Ah Mrs Imangi, how nice to meet you, I'm…" Edwina drowned out the sound of the principal's voice with her music, leaving the polite small talk and technicalities for her aunt to deal with. It was her first day at a new high school in a new town, and she wanted nothing more than to get through the day event-free and collapse in bed. She could just see it now; her bed, already made up with her favourite black blanket and voodoo teddy waiting for her to cuddle until its eyes burst… Her aunt pulling the buds from her ears interrupted her daydreaming, a small smile gracing her aged features.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright on your own, sweet? I can always stay a few nights if you want?" Edwina rolled her eyes, but her mouth twitched at the corners a little.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you." Her aunt still looked a little skeptical, so she forced herself to smile properly.

"Really, I'm fine. You have your own family to look after." Her aunt sighed, pulling her in for a hug.

"You _are _my family, silly minx;" she muttered into her niece's unruly hair. Holding her at arms length, she sighed again, this time with a hint of amusement "but if you're sure…"

"I am."

"Then I'll leave you to it." She hugged her once more "But be sure to call me if you ever need anything." She let go, and with a last encouraging smile, turned and walked off, leaving Edwina with the principal.

"Well miss Patelli, if you could get your class schedule from Mrs Johnson over there and be on your way, thank you. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. Good day." With that he retreated into his office and Edwina wandered over to where the receptionist sat typing away.

After a few wrong turns and much back-tracking Edwina found herself standing at the door of her first class: chemistry.

"Okay, come on E.D, let's go; it's no biggie." Inhaling deeply she raised a scarred fist and knocked. A balding old man opened the door, took one look at her and smiled gently.

"You must be new." Edwina nodded, desperate to find a seat and put her head down.

"Come in, come in. Class? Class, we have a new student."

'_Oh no,' _Edwina cringed internally _'they always have to do the introduction thing, don't they? Why can't they just –'_

"What's your name, dear?" She was jolted from her internal monologue by the kind voice of the teacher. Slowly, she glanced at the class _'bad idea' _she thought: every pair of eyes was fixed on her. She felt her hand drifting to her arm, but subtly redirected her fingers to grasp her wrist instead of scratching over her just-healed scabs.

"My dear?" Her eyes flew back to the old teacher "Your name?" He asked again. _'Be cool, fool.' _She swallowed thickly.

"Edwina Patelli." His smile grew encouraging.

"Anything else you would like to add, dear?" She looked at him quizzically "Any hobbies?" He offered. She shrugged.

"Art and poetry." She let her eyes wander again, this time searching out a seat for the quickest escape possible from the ridiculously uncomfortable situation she was in. Luckily, the teacher seemed to take the hint.

"Thank you very much, Edwina; please take a seat and we shall continue our lesson." Without hesitation Edwina sped towards an empty table at the back of the room and slid into her chair.

A few minutes later she felt something bounce off the back of her head, accompanied by light snickering. She ignored it, but not long after there came another, and another. By the sixth she had closed her eyes and was clenching and un-clenching her fist to the count of five.

When it didn't stop at ten she finally whirled around to hiss at the culprit.

"Could you stop?" It wasn't much, but Edwina's glare was notoriously terrifying in her last two schools. She had developed it after changing school for the first time as protection from bullies - that, and learning how to beat people to a bloody pulp.

This time, however, it did not appear to work. The offender: a menacing looking boy with a black sock beanie pulled down just above his eyes, just smirked and replied with a taunting:

"It is rude to ignore, miss Edwina Patelli." He drew her name out, letting the 'I' in her last name hang in the air between them for a moment before flashing her a shark-like grin. She noticed he had a rather substantial gap in his front teeth.

'_That's an unexpected feature; perhaps I'll draw him when I get home…' _Shaking the thought from her mind Edwina rolled her eyes and turned back around to focus on her work. Behind her, Edd let the smirk fall from his face and leaned back, staring at the mess of dark brown hair in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: So I realised that in my last author's note that I actually forgot to put my Tumblr… for the record, it's loyal-fandom-hopper. This chapter is pretty short, and it's done from Edd's point of view, basically just a little insight into what his first impression of Edwina was. Enjoy!**

When I heard the knock on the door I just assumed it would be a teacher or another student running an errand. Well, I was correct about the student part, at least.

The girl that walked in I had never seen before, so I naturally assumed she was new. _'Oh goodie, fresh meat;' _was my first thought. After that I payed slight more attention.

Mr Steven had asked her for her name, but she did not answer straight away. In fact, she was watching the class watch her, frozen like a deer in headlights. At least, she would have looked like that if her eyes were not so heavily lidded; and those black rings – she looked like she had not slept for seventy-two hours at least. She was bound to collapse at any time.

She lifted her hand – complete with scarred knuckles – to her arm – also scarred and scabbed – as though she were going to do something, but then thought better of it and grasped her wrist instead.

She started a little when Mr Steven repeated his question, and when she answered it was blunt and monotonous. I was surprised to hear her accent: unmistakably British.

When she responded very much the same to his second question, I suppose he gave up; she headed straight towards the seat in front of me, the paint stains on her dark blue cut-off singlet becoming more apparent with every step. When she pulled her chair out, I noticed red marks around her wrist. _'Was she really holding it that tight?'_

I decided to start out small, to gauge how easy she would be to crack. Some paper from my notebook ought to do the trick…

I must admit, she was more resilient than I thought she would be; it cost me ten pieces of paper before she finally turned around, a frightening glint in her eye. The ferocity took me aback but I maintained a straight face.

"Could you stop?" She hissed at me with that marvellous accent. Truly wonderful creatures: the British.

"It is rude to ignore, miss Edwina Patelli." I drew her name out a bit, a classic bully tactic – say someone's name even a little different, with just the right facial expression and they're bound to think you're making fun of them. It didn't appear to work on her though; I saw her raise an eyebrow ever-so-slightly at the gap in my teeth before rolling her eyes and turning her back to me once more.

'_This may prove to be an adequate test subject.' _I mused, boring holes into the back of her infuriatingly unkempt head.


	3. Chapter 3

**E.D makes some new friends in this chapter, how exciting. Keep in mind that this is all reverse characters (just a heads up in case anyone gets confused). R!Edd and all that jazz belongs to Aspyhxion, only E.D belongs to me. Enjoy!**

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Edwina jerked awake at the bell signaling the end of class and hurried to shove her notepad and pens back into her over-stuffed bag. Eyes blurry from sleep she rushed from the classroom with her head down. She, like the rest of the students, did not see Edd crouching down to clear away the paper he had thrown.

It was not until she was halfway down the hall that Edwina realised she had no idea where her next class was. She continued to follow the flow of students as she reached into her bag for her schedule, until:

"Oof! Ah, crap." Looking up Edwina found herself face-to-face with a disgruntled girl closely inspecting her glasses.

"I just bought these and I've already almost broken them twice today." Not one to be impolite, Edwina mumbled an apology, making the girl look up from her nails.

"Don't worry about it, they're just glasses." She smiled wide, showing off pearly white teeth "You must be new here, I haven't seen you around before. Do you know where you're going?" Reluctantly, Edwina shook her head. The girl smiled even more. "No problem, I'll help you out. Oh, I'm Nazz, by the way. And you are?"

"Edwina."

"Cool name. Well Edwina, let's see that schedule of yours." Pulling it out of her bag at last, Edwina placed the slip of paper into Nazz's waiting hand and chewed her nail while she looked it over.

"Alright, it looks like you have English now, and you're class is right next to mine. Lucky huh?" She smiled at her again before turning to walk down the corridor. "Come on, we better hurry!"

Edwina struggled to keep her blonde bob in sight amidst the sea of students, but somehow she made it to the door of her next classroom unscathed and without getting lost once. She turned to thank Nazz, who cut her off before she even opened her mouth fully.

"I'll see you at lunch, yeah? Is that alright?" Shocked at the seemingly straight-up offer of friendship on her first day, Edwina merely nodded and tried to keep her jaw from dropping. Nazz giggled a little. "Great, I'll introduce you to Kevin and Rolf; you'll love them, they're really great guys." Throwing a casual wave over her shoulder, Nazz skipped into her classroom. Having still not quite comprehended what had just happened, Edwina trudged into class in a daze, handed over her 'new student' note to the teacher and slid into a chair for the second time that day.

The next period flew by, and before she could say 'Shakespeare', Edwina found herself rushing after Nazz once again, this time destined for the canteen.

Fortunately Nazz kept up a near constant chatter as they stood in line, filling her in on all the necessary information and gossip about the school and its students, leaving Edwina to listen quietly: a thing she greatly enjoyed.

"… And then there's Double D's gang;" Nazz looked around shiftily before lowering her voice and continuing. The change in attitude sparked Edwina's interest and she found herself leaning forward a little "they practically run the school, so you better be sure not to cross them."

"What do they look like?" Edwina heard herself asking – maybe they would make good art subjects. By this time they were almost at a table, already occupied by two boys. In reply, Nazz just looked down and mumbled

"You'll find out soon enough, sitting with us." Perplexed, Edwina opened her mouth to ask more, but Nazz's bubbly charm was firmly back in place as she sat herself next to the boy with the quiz bowl hat and orange hair.

"Hey guys! I made a new friend today, her name's Edwina; she's new here, so be nice." She winked playfully, giggled and focussed her attention on the food in front of her. The boys looked at her for a moment before turning to Edwina, whom had remained standing. The blue-haired boy was the first to break the silence.

"Nice to meet you, new Edwina. I am Rolfe, son of a shepherd and this is Kevin, yes? We welcome you to sit with us, yes!" He had an unusual accent that Edwina couldn't quite place. Mumbling a hello, she sat in the seat he was gesturing to. Unsure of what to say, she squirmed uncomfortably under the gazes of Rolfe and the other boy, whom she assumed to be Kevin, given Rolfe's introduction. Luckily, Nazz came to her rescue for the second time that day.

"So Edwina, where did you move here from? You have a really strong British accent, so I'm assuming you're new to this country?" Edwina nodded – she seemed to be doing a lot of that today.

"I came here a year ago, but I lived with my aunt. I only moved to Peach Creek two weeks ago." Nazz grinned.

"Well I hope you like our humble little town." She giggled, "So tell me, what is it you like to do?" For the second time Edwina answered with a shrug and:

"Art and poetry." There was a pause; "Mostly art."

'_Speaking of which' _she thought absently _'I must remember to sketch their faces layer; they seem like potential permanents.' _Edwina had a habit of sketching the faces of every person she met that she felt she would know for at least six months; or 'potential permanents', as she called them.

"Do you like mechanics at all?" Kevin asked. It was the first time she had heard him speak. Nazz rolled her eyes good-naturedly "Here he goes again." Shooting her an aggravated side-glance, Kevin focussed back on Edwina.

"Like robots?" She questioned. Kevin nodded.

"Robots, big machinery, motorcycles, anything like that." She could tell from the look on his face that this was obviously his passion. She lifted a shoulder, contemplating.

"I find it fascinating, but I'm not very good at that stuff." For the sake of politeness and carrying on the conversation she could see he wanted to have, she feigned interest "What about you?" His entire face lit up and Edwina knew she had said the right thing. She filed his expression away for later, when she was sketching him.

"I love it; all of it. The sheer magnificence of it, how such a large machine can be created from parts that can get as small as a fingernail, it's brilliant. And the things they can achieve are endless! I've been reading about this new car being tested, supposedly it can –"

"Ed-boys approaching!" Rolfe hissed, interrupting Kevin mid-rant. All three of her new friends put their heads down and fell silent, leaving Edwina unsure of what to do.

"What are you doing?" She whispered to Nazz.

"They leave us alone sometimes if we're quiet enough. Shh!" Came the rushed, near-inaudible response. Looking up, she saw the boy from her chemistry class and two others making their way towards where she sat. Sock head had his eyes trained on her, a sneer tugging at his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not positive of Double D's actual last name, so I just used the one I often see used in other fanfictions of him. In this chapter E.D shows a little more of her true colours. Enjoy!**

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Edwina was torn; she had taught herself to look a bully dead in the eye as they approached, but she got the feeling Nazz, Kevin and Rolfe couldn't put up a fight like she could. _'Perhaps I should just follow their lead.' _Pulling out her IPod she ducked her head slightly in a lame attempt to appear busy. Her best efforts, however, were in vain. A pair of black boots stopped next to her.

"Greetings miss Patelli." His tone was mocking.

'_Well it's already too late to try and hide.' _Edwina sighed and lifted her head to stare the cocky bastard down. Ignoring the hostility practically oozing from her he brought his hand down forcibly onto the table. The loud noise made the table's other occupants jump, but Edwina was determined to keep her cool.

"You must forgive me my rudeness earlier; I never introduced myself." She raised an eyebrow _'this is one strange bully.' _His smirk grew and Edwina had to stop herself from pulling back when he brought his face within inches of hers.

"Eddward Vincent, at your service; but you can call me Edd." His not unpleasant minty breath washed over her. He seemed to be waiting for a reply, so she mustered up a sarcastic "Pleasure." her expression flat. His smirk shifted into the shark-like grin from before.

"You have no idea." He whispered. His tone and unwavering eye contact sent shivers down her spine.

'_They better be bad shivers, E.D.' _

"Come on Double D, I'm getting bored." An obnoxious grating voice complained loudly behind them. He turned to address the owner, but not before Edwina noticed a tensing in his jaw. When he was not looking, she released a breath she knew all-too-well that she had been holding.

"My apologies Eddy. Do you have something else in mind that you wish to be doing?"

'_What a gentleman_.' Edwina suppressed an eye-roll to accompany her internal sarcasm.

"Yeah, I'd rather be making some money!" Eddy snickered. Edd straightened up, his grin replaced with bored amorality.

"Well, there are plenty of people in here, Eddy: take your pick." Everyone in the canteen – who had been silent and openly staring before – all suddenly became fascinated with what was on their plates, trying desperately to go unnoticed by the short bully.

Raising a finger delicately to his lips Eddy looked around, pretending to make a decision. Ultimately, his greedy eyes landed on Kevin, who gulped audibly. Eddy's grin was anything but friendly as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Whadda ya say, Kev old buddy?" His tone had dropped in volume, giving off a more menacing tone "Spare some change?" Trembling, Kevin reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet. It took him to actually pull out what money he had for Edwina to finally register what was happening. Fists clenched and teeth grinding she shot to her feet.

"Don't." She aimed the command at Kevin and he hesitated, money still in hand. Like an angry Chihuahua Eddy rounded on her, fangs bared.

"Who do you think you are, interfering like that? This has nothing to do with you, bitch, so why don't you just sit the fuck back down like a good little girl and –" he was so caught up in his rant that he did not notice Edwina getting closer, or Ed stepping forward to stop her, or Double D stopping him and shaking his head, amusement dancing across his somber features.

And he most certainly did not see Edwina's fist until it had collided neatly with his cheekbone with such force that he was lifted off his feet before landing hard on his rear.

"Eddy!" Exclaimed Ed, once again making to go to his friend's aid. Once again, Double D held him back.

"This does not concern us, Ed. This is Eddy's fight." Turning, he successfully caught and held Edwina's eye, raising an eyebrow as if to ask _'what now?'_ Breaking away from his unnervingly intense gaze she looked down at Eddy who sat motionless on the floor, jaw hanging open and eyes bugging out of their sockets.

"You… but… I – you bitch!" He sputtered, scrambling to his feet at last. As short as she was, Eddy still was a good few inches shorter than her.

He pulled back a fist and let fly, but it was clumsily executed and Edwina dodged it with ease before placing her hands on his shoulders and swinging her jean-clad knee up. Those not close enough to hear the sickening crunch as knee connected with groin most definitely heard the high-pitched scream that erupted from Eddy a millisecond later.

Without another word Edwina spun around, grabbed her bag and exited the canteen at the fastest speed she could manage without jogging.

'_Nice going, E.D!' _her mind screamed sarcasm _'you couldn't even last one day, could you? Now you'll probably get suspended and your aunt will find out and she'll be super mad at you and demand that you go live with her again and –' _

"Argh, stop." She demanded aloud, physically halting in her tracks to shake the negative irrational thoughts from her head to calmly assess the situation she had gotten herself into. She began walking again, forcing her feet to move at a more natural pace.


	5. Chapter 5

******In response to a review that I got on my last chapter (and one that I greatly appreciate, make no mistake) I would just like to point out that most of my seemingly grammatical 'errors' are often intentional - that's just my style. Whilst there is nothing I like more than a person just as adamant about grammar as myself and welcome constructive critisism with open arms (because sometimes I do make a legitimate and over-looked error), some things that I write that appear incorrect are in fact perfectly fine, simply different. Also, if you could not find the pictures I uploaded of Edwina on my Tumblr account, go to my account (loyal-fandom-hopper) and type o.c into the search bar. It should appear at the bottom. Hope that helped and sorry for the ramble.  
This chapter has Edd's point of view and a bit more in third person after, because I've been feeling like my chapters are too short.. Enjoy!**

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**Edd's P.O.V**

After watching Eddy squirm and curse for a few moments I grew bored. The students had begun to buzz and hum like flies, but they fell silent the moment I stood. I held in a victorious smirk; power truly is pleasure. I addressed the waiting drones:

"Tell no one of the events that transpired here today or there shall be hell to pay. Ed –" the oaf barely looked away from Eddy to acknowledge me. I had to hand it to him: thick though he may be, he was obedient – he had not moved from my side despite obviously wanting to "Take care of Eddy. I shall see both of you last period." Ina flash he was at Eddy's side.

I saw Edwina just as she rounded the corner and sped up a little to keep up. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the next corridor and shook her head vigorously.

"Argh, stop." She sounded frustrated and for a moment I thought she was talking to me, until she started walking again, slower. There was a faint and continuous _'scritch, scritch, scritch' _noise echoing through the hall, and from the point of view I had of her it appeared as though she was scratching her arm, and far too much for just a simple itch. My curiosity was peaked, I must admit.

She did not seem to have any idea where she was headed, twisting and turning through the school until we ended up at the deserted swimming pool. Before I could react she had plunged into the icy water feet first. Striding to the edge of the pool I watched her scream under the water, bubbles exploding from her mouth. When at last she resurfaced for air she was gasping for breathe, eyes pressed tightly shut. I caught myself thinking how delightfully wicked it would be to have her gasping like that in a completely different situation. _'Not now, save your tasteless fantasies for another time, Double D.' _I shook myself out of it.

"Feeling better now, miss Patelli?" Her head turned so quick I could almost hear the whiplash.

"What do you want?" Her tone was harsh. Ignoring the question, I continued:

"Whilst it _was _one of my best friends you assaulted back there, I must admit: I admire your gall, miss Patelli. Although, your nerve could simply be put down to the fact that you are new here, I suppose –"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She interrupted. I looked back down at where she was still treading water, her face betraying none of the emotion her voice did.

"Well, miss Patelli, it means that everyone knows not to get on my bad side, to put it in the most simple of terms. However, you should count yourself fortunate I am in a good mood today. Now get yourself out of the pool and have someone from home bring you a dry change of clothes; we are still at school, after all." She flinched at my mention of home, which I found odd. Despite what I said she inhaled deep and plunged under the surface yet again, except this time there was no screaming. Tutting at her defiance, I could not help but feel amused at this strange girl's antics.

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Edd waited – goodness knows why – until Edwina finally emerged from the water, dripping wet and shivering. As she reached for her bag he grasped her arms and forced her to sit on the closest bench. Kneeling between her legs so there would not be a repeat of what had happened to Eddy, he lifted her left arm up to examine the red marks tat spanned from elbow to wrist.

"What the fuck –" Edwina began, only to be cut off by Edd.

"What is the meaning of these marks? You were scratching earlier, is this what you were aiming for? Are these the results you wished to achieve? Answer me." Attempting in vain to pull her arms from his grip and her eyes from his probing gaze, Edwina said nothing. The grip on her wrist tightened.

"Answer me, miss Patelli."

"_Let. Me. Go._" Her words were cold and devoid of emotion, but filled with such poison that she was surprised to see that Edd listened and released his grip before rising to his feet.

Not willing to risk spending another minute in his presence Edwina slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the door that opened to the school car park.

"Where are you going, miss Patelli?" His voice drawled behind her, making her pause, hand on doorknob.

"Home." He raised an eyebrow but said no more as she opened the door. She paused again "And stop calling me that." With that she shut the door and left Edd to chuckle to himself.

"My dear Edwina: such a feisty little miss. How fun."


	6. Chapter 6

**I do apologise for the later update than usual, I was experiencing a slight case of writer's block. But I powered through, and somehow managed to churn out the next chapter (yay!). I sincerely hope the wait was worth it, again if you are reading and enjoying this: _thank you, it means so much to me._ Enjoy!**

Edwina trudged home, dripping wet and exhausted to the point of collapse. Somehow, she made it all the way to the front door, and after a few moments of fumbling she extracted her house key and jammed it into the lock.

Leaving a trail of soaked clothes and shoes behind her she sunk into her shower bath, sitting up long enough only to turn on the taps. As the scalding water beat down on her she grasped for her IPod over the side of the bath and turned it up full blast. _Lilium _filled her ears, and with the combined effects of the song and the warm water she was soon lulled into a long over-due deep and dreamless sleep.

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Edwina was rudely awakened about forty minutes later when the water became ice cold. _Lilium _was still playing, having been put on repeat, and when she reached out to switch it off she saw her fingers had become pruned and pale. Turning the taps off and pulling herself out of the tub she wrapped a towel around her and padded down the hall to her room.

After pulling on a pair of underwear and an oversized old sweater that hung lazily off one shoulder she went downstairs and made herself a tea. While the kettle whistled away she searched the cupboards until she found a block of her favourite fruit and nut chocolate.

Steaming mug in hand and chocolate tucked under her arm she made her way back upstairs to the spare bedroom where all her art supplies were kept. Placing her snack on an unopened box she set up a row of A4 canvases and dug out her charcoal. Tapping her chin with the box, she paused.

"Something's missing." She muttered, looking around. Here eyes landed on a battered stereo and speakers in the corner of the room. A triumphant smile lit up her features "Ah, hah!" Kneeling to rifle through her extensive C.D collection she eventually settled on Lana del Ray and put it in, slow dancing her way back over to the canvases, humming to _Serial Killer_: her favourite. Picking up the charcoal again she got to work, her tea in one hand and a row of chocolate hanging out of her mouth.

Two cups of tea and a quarter of the chocolate block later Edwina's creations were complete. Lined up neatly in front of her in black and white were the faces of Kevin, Nazz, Rolfe and Edd. Satisfied, she stacked them carefully and took them into yet another spare rom.

'_This house is huge for just one person.' _She mused, not ungratefully. Taking the 'industrial strength' double-sided tape she had brought from the art rom as well she set about placing the newest additions to her 'possible permanents' collection amongst the others. When that was done she stood back to admire her work.

It was a bittersweet room. Scattered across the walls were the faces of people she loved, people she hated, people she would never see again; there were even a couple of her favourite pets. One wall – the one through which she entered, so she would not be forced to see it immediately – was dedicated wholly to her parents. Her breath hitched in her throat as she looked over the many images of her mother and father, one of each for every year since she was 5, all varying in skill and expression. Despite the accident's occurrence being almost 2 years past the deep emotional scarring of the simultaneous deaths of her beloved parents had yet to be completely healed. Growing up an over-all friendless and introverted child her witty, sarcastic mother and soft-spoken father had been her best friends. It was they who offered support and the comfort of three-way hugs (no matter how stifling) when she began coming home with bruises and scrapes that – no matter what her excuses – were obviously not accidental or self-inflicted; who skipped out on invitations to all sorts of places in favour of taking her out for ice-cream and encouraged her ceaselessly to go after what she wanted, if it made her happy.

A strangled sob wrenched itself from her throat. Stuffing her knuckle into her mouth she bit down, _hard_, and fled the room.

Her hands shook as she pulled on a pair of shorts, sparing not a thought for the scars on her legs. Not even bothering to put on shoes she sprinted from the house. Tears were running freely by then, but Edwina was beyond caring. All she wanted in that moment was for the images and noises to stop: the screeching of bus tires and screams of the passengers, her parents being thrown sideways like the rest of them. Her father's skull shattering against the window –

"_ARGH!" _Edwina's scream, very much in the present, pierced the silence of the cul-de-sac like an arrow through flesh. Collapsing on the ground she finally allowed herself to succumb to her sobbing, so far gone that she forgot she was still in the middle of the footpath.

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Meanwhile, back at school, Edd was rapidly growing bored of P.E.

After Edwina had unexpectedly left halfway through her first day he had lingered a little while by the pool, revelling in his luck of finding such an interesting specimen. There was no denying that she intrigued him, especially after that stunt she had pulled with Eddy. If he had to be completely honest with himself – and he did try to be – he wanted to get to know her better; find out what made her tick, what made her malfunction. She was a test subject waiting to be studied and Edd was not one to postpone a project. He would – with or without her permission – know her intimately (let's keep our thoughts _clean _here, people), although he could not deny that she was good looking. In a messy, starving artist kind of way.

'_It's settled then;' _Dodging a ball and swiftly kicking it away Edd smiled ever-so-slightly _'by the end of this semester I will know miss Edwina Patelli better than she knows herself: inside and out, top to bottom.' _His smile grew as the bell rang to signal the end of the hour.

'_The only question now is: how to begin?'_


	7. Chapter 7

**Things will be starting to get a little more interesting from this chapter onwards *spooky 'ooh' noises* Thank you so very much to everyone who reads and reviews this little story of mine, it means ever so much to me. Also, something that I keep forgetting to do and have to keep telling reviewers who are unaware of reverse Edd (and reverse Ed, Eddy, Nazz, Kevin and Rolfe) is that he does not belong to me. That amazing little creation was entirely Asphyxion's doing (you should check them out on Tumblr) and I apologise for not mentioning that sooner. Feel free to check me out on Tumblr as well - loyal-fandom-hopper. I'll be quiet now. Enjoy!**

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It had taken almost half an hour for Edwina to drag herself to her feet and turn back to the unfamiliar comfort of her new home. Her hands were shaking too much to paint or draw so she planted herself in front of the television with yet another tea and a variety of sweets including a bowl of popcorn three times the size of her head.

Edwina had two foolproof plans for cheering herself up depending on her physical and mental condition: the first was a Tim Burton marathon with plenty of lollies and pizza. This was for when she felt too exhausted to want to move or even _think_ too much. The second was baking. Cookies and muffins were her favourites, and boy could she bake a batch worthy of Gordon Ramsay's praise when she set her mind to it. But today was definitely a Tim-Burton-marathon kind of day. As the opening theme for The Nightmare Before Christmas began she could feel herself calming down already.

She had just begun Frankenweenie: the third – but most certainly not last – movie of her marathon when Edwina decided that now was as good a time as any to bring pizza into the picture. Hauling herself off the couch she grabbed her mobile and began to flip through the phone book of all the local businesses her aunty had gotten her. Finally she found the pizza shop and promptly called the number, repeating her order over and over in her head whilst it rang.

_"Peach Creek Pizza, can I take your order?_" A juvenile voice answered the phone, startling Edwina out of her rehearsal.

"Hi, hello, yes; could I please get two large meat lovers – extra BBQ sauce – one large vegetarian, one large Hawaiian and five rolls of garlic bread." There was a pause "Oh and two Cokes, thanks." The voice repeated her order, and after receiving confirmation that he had gotten it all told her that would be forty-five dollars including delivery fee and if she could please tell him her address so he can say how long her wait will be. She thanked him, reminded him to put extra cheese on everything and hung up.

"Only a twenty-five minute wait, huh? Not bad; it must be pretty close." With nothing better to do Edwina returned to her lounge room and pressed play, the ghoulish children of Tim Burton's imagination resuming their plotting and mischief making.

Thirty-seven minutes later (she was timing it) the doorbell echoed through the empty house followed by a lazy proclamation of "Pizza!" Turning the volume up slightly Edwina grabbed her money and shouted "Pizza's here!" as she walked down the hall. She was not talking to anyone; she just did not want the delivery boy to think she was some kind of lonely-pizza-slob. Despite everything Edwina could be just as self-conscious as anyone else sometimes. Let's face it – no one wants to people to think they eat four whole pizzas and five garlic bread rolls by themselves. With this in mind she opened the door.

Edwina was unsure which hit the ground faster – her wallet or her jaw. Towering over her in a red and white uniform, sock beanie still firmly in place above his menacing eyes, stood none other than Eddward Vincent, the strange gentleman bully. His bored glare shifted to that already far too familiar shark-like grin the moment he realised who she was.

"Why, miss Patelli, what a pleasant surprise. I trust you found your way home easily enough?" Still in shock she ignored his question and bent to pick up her wallet, her sweater edging up towards her waist: Edd quirked an appreciative eyebrow at the sight before him.

'_Is she aware she has no pants on?' _Was his first thought; the second – _'Purple lace looks good on her. I could get used to a sight like that.' _There was no time for more thinking then as Edwina shot up and pushed her money at his chest. Sighing, he looked at her pointedly before glancing at the stack of pizzas in his arms. Still she refused to say anything, meeting his gaze head-on.

"I cannot take your money whilst my hands are otherwise occupied with your… rather _large_ dinner." A shrug was all she gave him, but he swore he could see a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Just leave it at the door."

Now ordinarily Edd would have done just that ages ago, but not only was this his new test subject, she also happened to be his last delivery for the night. He was in no rush whatsoever. With this in mind he took a step forward, forcing Edwina back further into her home.

"And leave you to struggle with all of this on your own? I could never do such a thing." Another step and his foot was over the threshold. He detected a hint of panic in her eye.

"Come now miss Patelli, lead the way. I know you have no company currently despite your attempt to conceal this." When she cast a suspicious glance at him he rolled his eyes.

"If you had company they would have surely called out by now to enquire as to what is taking so long. One can only assume that either you ordered this much due to indecision and over-ordered as a precaution or you plan on stretching this out over a few days. Am I correct?" Rolling her eyes with every bit as much sarcastic exasperation as him Edwina nodded and turned, beckoning him to follow.

'_Victory.' _He smirked, striding after her.

Whatever Edd was expecting, Edwina's kitchen was not it. Painted a deep crimson with dark blue cabinets and a black and white tiled floor it was the most whimsical kitchen he had ever seen. One wall was covered entirely by clocks of all different shapes, sizes and styles: their multiple tick-tocking noises echoed off each other.

"Here." The command brought Edd out of his staring contest with an owl clock. Placing the mound of food onto the counter where she indicated he watched on as she looked through each box before putting it in the fridge, leaving aside one roll of garlic bread and a meat lover's pizza. When this was done she shoved the money at his chest again. Smirking, he captured her hand and held it in place.

"Miss Patelli –"

"Stop calling me that." He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away.

"Tell me _Edwina_, why are you so desperate to be rid of me?" Looking at him sharply, like he just asked the stupidest question she had ever heard, she tugged on her hand again.

"You're intruding." Edd tutted.

"I wish for us to be friends, Edwina; you fascinate me. Please allow me to stay a while longer so when can converse, become more acquainted with one another."

"No." With a final pull Edwina got her hand free and pointed in the general direction of the front door. Ever the gentleman Edd obliged, stopping at the door for a parting remark that shook Edwina up all over again.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at school… _neighbour_." Waving lazily over his shoulder he did not look to see if Edwina was watching him go down her driveway and straight up the one right next to it to his own front door. But he could most certainly feel it.


	8. Chapter 8

**In this chapter Edwina gets a bit closer to Nazz and finds out a little secret of hers; I wonder, whatever could it be? *waggles eyebrows* There's not really mention of any other characters at all except those two, but eh. Sorry for updating a bit later than usual, I was struggling a bit with the ending of this and I'm still not 100% satisfied, but I'll have to do. Enjoy!**

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Edwina awoke the next day with a start in a mess of garlic bread and pizza crumbs. Sitting up to switch off the alarm on her phone she surveyed last night's damage.

She must have drifted off at some point through Sweeney Todd because the start menu was still on the screen. The box of pizza lay open and almost empty on the coffee table amidst a scattered display of lollies, garlic bread and a half finished Coke. Still groggy and battling a dull ache in her shoulders and neck from sleeping on the couch Edwina took the pizza and now-flat beverage to the kitchen and placed them randomly in her fridge. Munching on a slice she had snagged before shutting the door she trudged up the stairs, mind set on a hot shower and thorough teeth cleaning.

Back in her room - hair still damp from her much needed shower - Edwina stood in a clean pair of underwear and bra, scanning her wardrobe.

Glancing at her protruding belly – an unfortunate, but luckily temporary, side effect of her 'cheer-up' nights – she raised an amused eyebrow.

"Something baggy today, I think." Reaching in she yanked an oversized black jumper off its hanger, pulling a pair of red tartan skinny jeans on under it. After donning her usual red Doc Martens she allowed herself a few moments of vanity in front of the full-length mirror.

The jumper fell to mid-thigh, the stretchy knitted material fitting snug against her legs after falling relatively loose over her torso. The sleeves were a tad too long and the jeans, of course, were rip-free, revealing none of the disfiguring scars. Tying her hair back in a sloppy bun Edwina slung her school bag over her shoulder and made her way to the front door, picking up her phone, house key and wallet as she passed.  
Pausing at the door to crank up her music she snuck a glance at the house next door.

'_Of all the rotten luck.' _She grimaced, then shook it off and started walking, the upbeat tune of 'You're On My Mind'* fuelling her steps.

It was still a little too early to rock up at school so Edwina stopped in at a little café for her daily dose of coffee. It was so good she got another to go and she sipped at the steaming drink in satisfaction as she set off again.

It was lunch again and Edwina's day had been wholly and thankfully uneventful. She had seen Edd and his cronies prowling the halls of course but had yet to actually interact with any of them that day. She was silently dreading last period: chemistry. She suppressed a shiver. Chemistry meant Edd, and she could already tell that Edd meant nothing good.

"Hey, Edwina!" Turning at the sound of her name Edwina saw Nazz making her way towards her through the stream of students milling towards the cafeteria. When she finally reached her she beamed. Edwina noticed that her glasses were slightly askew.

"Where are you headed?" Vaguely gesturing at the door behind her Edwina shrugged.

"Outside, I guess."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Slightly taken aback but not in an unpleasant sense Edwina shrugged again.

"Sure." Nazz's grin grew and she bounced for a moment on the balls of her feet before opening the door herself.

"Come on, I'll show you my favourite place to just sit and think." Taking the quiet girl's hand in her own she sped across the running track, making a bee line straight for the trees that scattered along its edges. She stopped at the base of a particularly large tree and pulled a small cane from her bag. Edwina looked on in confusion as she expanded the cane to its full length and reached up between the branches, fumbling around a bit until a rope ladder rolled down against the trunk. Putting away the cane she turned a sheepish grin on the stunned girl, who was doing her best not to let her jaw drop.

"I come here a lot;" she admitted, "Even when school isn't in." With that she scaled the ladder with the confidence of someone who does such a thing on a very regular basis. Breathing deep Edwina began her own shaky ascent into the boughs of the tree to where Nazz was already perched.

"Pull the ladder up, could you?" Obeying, Edwina made herself comfortable on the wide branch. They sat like that in silence for a minute or two and Edwina wondered if Nazz brought all her friends up here; it didn't seem like the kind of thing she would want to share with too many people. She was thinking of voicing her thoughts aloud when Nazz spoke up.

"Hey, Edwina… thanks for yesterday. Standing up for Kevin, that is." She paused, her cheeks tinted pink "We – that is, I – um… oh damn it, can I just hug you?" Startled by the request Edwina nodded slowly. The shorted blonde teen crawled over and kneeled between her legs, pulling her into a tight hug that she returned somewhat awkwardly.

Sitting back, Nazz beamed at her again, back to her usual perky self.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself."

"Uh… there isn't much to tell." Ruffling her already unruly hair out of nervous habit she smiled apologetically. Nazz, however, was having none of it.

"Nonsense! You mentioned yesterday that you like art and poetry, right? What sort of art do you do?" Edwina considered this for a moment.

"I paint, mostly. But I do sculptures and drawings and more contemporary stuff as well." Nazz nodded and readjusted her glasses,

"So what do you d with it all?" The quiet teen was unsure of how to answer that. It must have shown because Nazz giggled and tried again.

"I mean, where doe sit all go? You seem like you of a lot of art, so surely you'd run out of room pretty quick. So, do you sell it, or, like, throw it out? Or do you actually keep it all and your garage is over-flowing with finished pieces?"

'_Oh.'_ Now that made more sense.

"I sell it online. I keep a few personal projects though." Her thoughts drifted to the spare room full of faces.

'_Come on E.D, at least _try _and keep the conversation going; she's showing you a massive kindness right now.'_

"Do you know if any businesses are hiring at the moment? I need a job." Nazz laughed.

"Surely you don't _need _a job; you don't really have to get one until you move out of home. It's best to spend your free time studying, you know." She winked playfully.

"Heh. Yeah." Came Edwina's half-hearted response. Once again her mind drifted to home. More importantly, the near-empty fridge and master bedroom that should be occupied by her parents instead of her. Biting her tongue she focussed back on Nazz who appeared deep in thought.

"I think… I'm pretty sure there's a little café near here that's always happy to hire teenagers. You know of the Foxy Coffee Café?" Edwina bobbed her head eagerly.

"I was there this morning; their coffee is amazing." Nazz held her arms out in triumph.

"There you go then, perfect! Just hand in a resume, be polite, and they're sure to take you on. It worked for Marie, so why not you?" Edwina's artist eye immediately noticed the way Nazz's smile softened at the name, how her cheeks flushed ever so slightly and the way her eyes flitted down for the briefest of moments. Intrigued, she filed away the job search for later.

"Who's Marie?" The blonde looked up so sharply she almost lost her glasses.

"Who – she's – um, a friend. She's just a friend." She looked at her lap and watched her fingers.

'_Why does she look so sad all of a sudden?'_

"Are you sure?" The perplexed reason she received almost made her chuckle "Do you, maybe, want to be _more _than friends with this 'Marie'?" Confusion turned into a quiet gasp that then became a bright red face.

"H-how did you guess that?" She muttered, refusing to meet Edwina's knowing gaze. Allowing herself a smirk the brunette tapped her cheekbone directly beneath her eye.

"Artist's eye: nothing escapes my notice. It's like my super power." Nazz's mouth twitched but she still refused to look up. Taking pity on the girl Edwina leaned forward.

"Hey," she rested a hand atop Nazz's, "I won't tell anyone, promise." Squeezing her fingers to emphasise her words she smiled gently when the red-faced teen finally looked up.

"Really?"

"Really."

"So… you don't care that I'm gay?" Holding the blonde's hands between them Edwina smiled again, a little sassier.

'_Doing a lot of that today; this chick is pretty swell.'_

"Care? Honey from this moment henceforth I am your official wing-woman." The laugh that erupted from Nazz's lips was so bubbly and contagious that Edwina could not help but join in. It was the kind of laughter that, every time it seemed like they were going to stop, they would catch each other's eye and succumb all over again. They managed to settle down only when the signal sounded for the end of lunch.

The two girls walked back across the track in silence. It was a companionable silence though: all traces of the new-friend awkwardness gone completely.

"You know," Edwina looked at Nazz who was looking back at her, frowning good-naturedly "you look a lot nicer when you smile and laugh." The brunette raised an eyebrow, keeping her face otherwise motionless on purpose.

"Oh?" She questioned. Unfazed, Nazz nodded.

"Yeah. It just makes you seem a lot less… intimidating." Edwina blinked.

"Me? Intimidating?"

"Mmm. Not just to me, either. I've heard a few people talking about how intense and kind of aggressive you seemed. And after what you did to Eddy yesterday, on your first day, no less: well, it's sort of expected to spread and escalate like wildfire."

"Huh." They were back inside and for once Edwina payed proper attention to the students around them. People were clearing from their path, some avoiding eye contact, others blatantly staring.

'_This could be fun.' _Holding back a smirk she turned the full force of her glare on a group of girls doing a bad job of being subtle. One of them actually squeaked as they scuttled away.

'_Oh this is too good. There seems a very high chance I won't get bullied here.'_

"Hey, Nazz!"

"O-oh, hello Marie." The sound of the name brought Edwina back to reality. A tall, blue haired girl stood in front of them, hands tucked into the pockets of her tan skinny jeans.

"You going to introduce me?" She asked, flicking her chin at Edwina.

"Oh yes, of course! Edwina, this is Marie; Marie, meet Edwina, my new friend." Nazz linked her arm through Edwina's, and though Marie smiled, she caught an unmistakable flash of jealousy in her visible eye.

"You're new here, right?" Edwina nodded "Aren't you the one who pounded Eddy yesterday?" Again, a nod; Marie snickered and held out a fist. "Put it here man; that was so wicked. The little shit's had it coming for years." Edwina raised her own hand and the two bumped fists.

'_Well at least she doesn't hate me.'_

"I, um, I hate to interrupt, but we need to get to class." Marie turned to the small blonde, her smile gentle again.

"Alright Nazz, I'll see you later. Nice to meet you Edwina." With one last smirk she strode off, brushing against Nazz's arm as she passed. Edwina waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"Uh, Nazz? You're kind of hurting my arm." The girl gasped and released her grip, face red.

"I'm sorry I didn't realise." She giggled nervously "I guess I just needed something to hold onto to stop myself shaking; I still get pretty nervous around her." In an attempt to hide her blush she looked down at her feet.

'_She's hopeless; how adorable.' _Bringing a hand down onto her head she ruffled the embarrassed teen's short hair and smirked when she looked up sheepishly.

"Let's get to class." Nazz's expression morphed into one of the best silent portrayals of 'oh, shit!' Edwina had ever seen. She laughed openly as Nazz grasped her wrist and pulled her through the halls.

"You are so lucky we have this class together because I could so easily leave you to find your own way." The artist merely laughed again.

"I'm serious! You'd be running around like a headless chook, Edwina."

"Hey, Nazz." The blonde kept up her half jogging pace but dropped her mock-angry attitude.

"Yeah, Edwina?"

"Call me E.D." Her voice had dropped a bit so Nazz wanted to be sure she had heard correctly, but without being too obvious about it.

"E.D? Are you sure?" All she received in reply was a single bob of her new friend's head. Turning away she smiled, wondering how many people had the privilege of using the fiercely guarded girl's nickname. It was obvious she did not let just anyone call her by it. The quiet girl she was towing, however, knew exactly how many.

Nazz was the third.

* * *

***You're On My Mind - by Passenger **


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so terribly sorry for the late update, I was having a major writer's block with the ending of this chapter (I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, to be honest, but it's the best I've got from the many drafts I wrote up). School has just started again as well so I've been kind of occupied with that, and I've got a bunch of other ideas buzzing around my skull that have demanded my attention, making this incredibly difficult to focus on. I'll stop making excuses for myself now and just shut up. Any feedback (so long as it isn't straight-up negativity) is welcome. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Um, E.D?" Barely glancing up from her notes – that were steadily turning into sketches – the artist hummed her acknowledgement. Fiddling with her pen the blonde watched for her reaction as she spoke.

"I was just wondering… why's your nickname E.D, exactly?" Edwina's pencil paused above her page and she turned to look at Nazz, eyebrows raised.

"No special reason. My full first name is Edwina-Delilah, and my parents were too lazy to say all of it or just one." She lifted the corner of her mouth in a small smile before turning back to her work. Nazz nodded and directed her attention to the teacher again. She did not notice the silent shaky breath Edwina took in through her mouth before returning to her notes.

* * *

The rest of the day came and went in the blink of an eye and before she knew it Edwina found herself heading to her chemistry class.

She was one of the first in and so she hurried to claim a seat by the window as far down the back as possible. While the other students filed in and mucked around Edwina turned to watch two small birds dance around each other just outside the glass, ignoring the worksheet in front of her.

Her fingers wrapped – almost unconsciously – around her pencil and flicked to a fresh page. She began to sketch, her eyes barely leaving the birds, unblinking. She was completely unaware of the very small audience of one she had attained.

Edd had taken the seat next to Edwina with every intention of instigating an interrogation disguised as innocent small talk. Upon seeing that she was very much otherwise occupied, however, he paused to look a little closer.

Edd watched Edwina's hand dance across the page, capturing the birds as quickly as they moved, recreating their sporadic movements in a way both controlled and uncontrollable; all with barely a glance at the page itself. Never had he seen such a thing, and oh, how it fascinated him so.

Even when the teacher called the class to attention she did not waver. Edd's eyes flickered momentarily, but he could not look away for long. The birds darted off about five minutes into the lesson but Edwina just turned from the window to her page, defining the spidery scrawling lines as Edd continued to watch on. He had turned his head to the front when she had to remain unnoticed, and was now watching her from the corner of his eye.

'_It is lucky' _he thought, relieved _'that today is merely revision for next test.' _Mr Steven was still talking but very few people were bothering to pay him any attention. Eventually he gave up, requesting that they complete the sheets given to them before the end of the lesson. The second he sat down the noise went up.

Edwina was still working on her birds ten minutes later, and Edd was still watching; although his deep-seated desire to complete his work had caused him to alternate between the sheet on his desk and the sketch on hers.

Not long after, she finished, putting her pencil down with finality and leaning to arch her back and roll her neck. Her eyes stung with exhaustion and she silently vowed to go to bed earlier that night.

_No T.V or computer tonight, you'll only regret it tomorrow, E.D.' _Digging at her eyes she picked up her pen and extracted the worksheet from under her sketchbook. _'Hah, yeah, because that always works, definitely.'_

It was not until she heard an amused, familiar voice speak did Edwina realise she had been staring blankly at question one for far too long.

"Do you require assistance, Edwina?" Turning to look the smirking gap toothed genius dead in the eye she pursed her lips in tired irritation.

"No."

"Are you absolutely certain? You seem quite lost –"

"No."

Edd chuckled "If you insist." He nodded at the sketch under her arm "You are incredibly talented, Edwina. I dare say I am impressed." He paused to answer her frown with a predatory grin "Would you sell it to me?"

Edwina's frown went from defensive to confused as she processed his words.

"Why?" Edd shook his head a little in mock disappointment.

"Such rudeness. I like the piece and wish to own it; I see no harm in that. Why, I'll even let you name the price." He cocked an eyebrow and waited, expecting her to turn his offer down.

Despite being totally unaware of Edd's sincere desire to own the sketch selling her art was something Edwina did on a regular basis over the Internet, so she had no problem with this whatsoever.

'_However…' _she bit her lip in thought _'he is a bit of a prick, so I'll up the price, just for him.' _She bit down harder to supress her grin.

Edd was beginning to doubt he would ever get an answer when Edwina finally spoke up.

"Fifty dollars." He smirked victoriously.

"That seems a bit much for a twenty minute sketch, don't you think?" He secretly did not care about the price: his parents earned more than enough to worry about a mere fifty dollars. _'Besides,' _he thought _'I'm no Eddy.'_

The artist shrugged and turned back to her work.

"Take it, or leave it."

"I shall take it." Edwina looked up sceptically only to be met with a firmly decided expression.

"The only trouble is, I do not have my wallet on me at present. I shall collect the sketch and pay you tomorrow. Do we have a deal? He stuck his hand out and waited for Edwina to take it in hers. They shook once, and that was that.

"Excellent." Ignoring the insidious thought of germs he fixed on her another shark grin.

"So then, Edwina – just why were you ordering so much food last night?" Rolling her eyes the artist shifted in her seat, flicking her pen between her fingers distractedly.

"You already guessed last night, remember?" He leaned back in his chair, relaxed and dangerously playful.

"Ah yes, but why? Surely your parents would disapprove of your meal choice?"

"They went away." The tightening of her voice and clenched fists did not escape his keen senses. Intrigued, he pressed on.

"For just how long are they away?" She breathed deep and loud through her nose.

"A while."

"Where have they gone?"

"A place."

"What for?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Is it a business trip? Holiday? Do they often leave you alone like that?" His thoughts flashed to his own perpetually empty house, sticky notes on every available surface.

"I don't wish to repeat myself."

"Come now Edwina, there's no need to be shy." She remained silent, her eyes boring holes in the sheet on the desk. Her hands were shaking.

Edd was amused, irritated and fascinated by her stubbornness over such a thing. But at the same time he could not blame her; he himself was prone to be quite secretive when discussing his family life.

"Very well then," he started again with renewed curiosity _'if patience is needed to pry her apart, then patient I shall be.' _"Your accent:" she gave him a look as though to say 'what of it?' Brushing off the silent interruption he ploughed on "It is most undeniably British; which leads me to ask the question: why are you so very far from home, Edwina?"

Again he noted the tension in her hands and this time the subtle grinding of teeth. Still she said nothing, directing her pen across the page as a sign for him to leave her be; she had work to do, and so did he. He glanced up at the clock, which showed they had only twenty minutes remaining. He felt generous, so Edd settled on waiting until the end of the lesson before demanding an answer. He sped through his work, a little disappointed with the complete lack of difficulty it presented.

The minutes dragged by at a snail's pace for Edwina, but she relaxed more when she felt certain Edd would no longer pester her.

When the bell finally rang she hurried to gather her belongings and exit the classroom, depositing her completed work on the teacher's desk as she passed.

"Edwina." She cringed inwardly. _'Four steps; I only made it four steps, damn it.' _She briefly considered pretending she had not heard him but the menacing presence behind her cancelled out all chance of escape. Almost unconsciously her hand drifted to her arm, nails reaching under the fabric of her jumper to run over the still-fresh wounds from the day before. Edd cast and eye over action before bringing his gaze to hers; she turned her eyes to the floor and began to walk away down the hall. Determined to get at least one solid answer Edd kept pace with her.

"You never answered my question, Edwina."

"Which one?" He smirked at the stubborn tone.

"You are so very far from home; why is that?" Upon reaching her locker Edwina entered the combination, extracted a book and slammed it shut again.

"I fail to see the part where that's your business." Edd clutched at his chest, pulling a face of mock pain.

"You wound me, Edwina. I am merely trying to befriend you, a feat which you are making increasingly difficult." With barely a glance in his direction she scoffed.

"Perhaps you're going about it the wrong way." It was a statement, not a question. They were in he car park by that time and he was very aware of the stares and whispers that were being directed at them. Refraining from rolling his eyes, he guided Edwina to his car.

"Well then allow me to drive you home; we can start over until I get it right."

"I don't fucking think so." Edd clucked his tongue in mild disapproval.

"There's no need for such language, Edwina; or such hostility, for that matter. We are going the same direction, after all – I thought you might appreciate the gesture." She threw him a look that clearly stated she thought he was crazy.

"Well I don't. Good day to you, sir." Edd watched her turn on her heel and walk off, unaware of the new presence beside him.

"Why the fuck were you talking to her for?" He looked down to see Eddy eyeing the artist's retreating back with loathing. He was still sporting the rather impressive bruises she had given him the other day and it seemed his pride was just as wounded, if not more. Ed stood beside him blank faced.

"Oh, just trying to find out more about my new test subject." He smirked and got into his car, waiting for his two friends to follow suit "She certainly is a tough little nut to crack." In the back seat, Ed chuckled.

"Double D's got a new toy: how fun." The brainiac's smirk grew as the engine purred to life.

"Indeed I do, Ed. I just hope I don't break it too soon."

* * *

**Yeah, I'm not entirely sure how to do reverse!Edd, in case anyone hasn't realised yet, so I kind of just went with 'pushy gentleman' in this chapter. Hope that's okay? Anyway, about him buying the sketch: 1. I had to think of some way for them to interact again, this time with Edwina a little more willing and 2. I think Edd is appreciative of fine art, and even though it's just a rough sketch he sees Edwina's potential and hopes to see more in the future, even if it's just a sneaky way of glimpsing into her personal life.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow. Wow. Words cannot begin to explain how crap I feel for leaving this update for so long. I am so sorry everybody. There shall be cookies and milkshakes given to all those who are willing to forgive me. I have excuses, many of them, but I won't ramble anymore. Instead, I will promise to try and update the next chapter much, _much _sooner than this one. Enjoy.**

* * *

Edwina was halfway back home before she remembered what Nazz had said about the Foxy Coffee Café. Without pause she did a U-turn and headed back down the street to where the establishment was situated. She rummaged through her bag as she walked until she found what she was searching for: a copy of her resume that she had been carrying around since her arrival, just in case.

'_Score one: preparation.' _Tucking it into a more easily accessible place she walked on, the café's sign coming into view in the distance.

The bell above the door chimed as Edwina entered the bustling café. She strode up to the bar and waited patiently, contemplating another coffee while she was there. Before long a familiar blue-haired teen came into her line of vision.

"Hey there man, how's it going? What can I get for you today?"

"A job would be great." Marie laughed and looked around.

"Sure thing; let me get the manager for you – I'm a busy girl, you know." She waved at a smart-dressed middle-aged man across the room and gestured him over. He approached them with a questioning smile on his lips.

"What is it, Marie?"

"My friend Edwina here is looking for a job; think you can help her out, Greg?"

"I sure can try." Happy with his answer Marie nodded and wandered off to serve the other customers, leaving Edwina with Greg.

"So then," taking a seat on one of the stools he gestured for her to do the same "tell me – Edwina was it? Tell me, Edwina, why should I hire you?" The query was not meant to be intimidating, more like a conversation prompt.

'_Alright E.D, time to put that smooth talking into action.' _

"Well for one, I've had waitressing jobs before so I know how to handle customers and I can make a mean coffee." Greg laughed.

"Well that's good if you have already had waitressing experience –"

"I have my resume."

"You're prepared, too! Alright then, let's see it." He took the sheet from her outstretched hand and Edwina sat quietly and let her eyes wander while he read through her resume, nodding and humming affirmatively every now and then.

"Are you flexible with your schedule, Edwina?" She nodded and took his extended hand and shook it firmly.

"Well then, looks like you're hired! Come back here this Saturday at nine. A uniform will be provided for you." Returning his grin Edwina stood up and cast her eye briefly at the resume that he was still holding. Her glance did not go unnoticed. Greg smiled and winked companionably.

"You don't mind if I hold onto this, do you? Got to show it to the missus – she owns the place more than I do sometimes." He laughed again and Edwina joined in quietly.

"I don't mind."

"Excellent. See you next Saturday, kiddo. Remember, 9a.m sharp." With one last nod she turned to leave, returning Marie's wave as she passed.

The bell sounded again as she left and Edwina paused a moment to breathe in deep.

'_Damn' _she thought as she started for home again _'why do the uniforms have to have fox-eared headbands?' _She was not sure whether to laugh of groan. _'I'm going to look ridiculous.'_

Edd had been home for quite a some time, having turned down Eddy's proposal of 'hitting the town' as he had so eagerly put it.

'_Honestly Eddy it's a school night: have you no control?' _The brainiac sighed and scratched the top of his head through his beanie. He was currently elbow-deep in maths homework, but his empty stomach growled, demanding to be filled.

Sighing again he got to his feet and went into the kitchen, sticky notes on every surface, same as ever. There were no new ones for that day. Edd was not sure why he never took them down – he knew most of them by heart, why bother leaving them?

'_It's really all you've got of your parents, that's why.'_ Suddenly irritable he ignored the thought and grabbed an apple, striding down the hall to the back door and standing in his yard. Biting viciously into the fruit he tried to focus solely on the crunching between his teeth.

"…best days without you are nothing in comparison…" The quiet singing drifted over the fence, alerting him to the presence of a certain artist next door. Grinning around his mouthful of apple Edd walked over to the source of the noise.

**Edd's POV**

She was kneeling in the middle of her yard, wrapping wire around what appeared to be a tree sculpture made of clay. I could see that she had headphones in – obviously what she was singing along to – so I knew calling out to her would be pointless. Instead, I took one last bite and threw my apple in her direction; it rolled to a stop at her knee. It took her a moment to notice its appearance but when she did she sat up and looked around, rather closely resembling a meerkat, much to my amusement. When she saw me, her eyebrows pulled together in annoyance.

'_Oh come now, I'm not _that _bad, am I?' _ I smirked _'Yes, yes I suppose I sometimes am.' _She rose to her feet gripping the fruit gingerly by the stalk and approached the fence.

"You dropped this." She thrust it at my chest, much like she had with the money the other night. Her hands were cut and bleeding lightly.

"What on earth happened to your hands?" I asked. She thrust her chin in the direction of the sculpture over her shoulder.

"Wire." Was all she said.

I wanted to ask her if it hurt, but… _'Mustn't have her thinking I care, now can I?' _I paused internally _'But wait… I _don't _care.' _She was watching me closely as I thought, her eyes probing and unblinking. It was a little unnerving. To hide my lack of comfort I looked around as though bored. I could still feel her eyes on me so I turned to quirk an eyebrow at her.

"What?" She held the apple up in front of my nose.

"Take your damn apple." I chuckled and held out my hand. She let go of the stalk and it dropped with a gentle slap into my hand. Without another word she turned on her heel, already sticking her headphones back into her ears with slightly exaggerated movements.

'_I get it, I get it: you don't wish to talk with me. Such a rude toy.' _

I watched her for a little longer, considering throwing the apple again – I certainly was not going to be eating it now – and asking for my sketch early, but decided against it.

'_It's a perfect excuse to see her for longer tomorrow – to study her more closely in uncomfortable surroundings.' _I was interrupted from my thoughts by a sharp cry. I looked over to see her gripping her thigh, red seeping through her fingers.

"What did you do?" I called. She did not answer.

'_She probably still has her headphones in, of course.' _Rolling my eyes I put my foot in a conveniently placed hole in the fence and vaulted over, landing softly in the over-grown grass.

She was still clutching her leg; her eyes scrunched shut and teeth worrying away at her lip. She jumped when I placed my hand on her shoulder to announce my presence, scrambling away frantically before realising who I was.

'_That's a bit of an odd reaction…' _

Crouching down I waited for her to yank the buds out of her ears, smearing the white chords with blood from her shaking hands.

"What?" She demanded before I could so much as open my mouth. Her hands went back to cover the spot just above her left knee.

"Show me." I said, gesturing at her leg. Her answer was an attempt to rise to her feet and hobble towards her back door. I had to hand it to her: she was tougher than I gave her credit for. She made it almost ten unsteady steps before her foot got snagged in a piece of wire and she went crashing to the ground. Trying not to laugh I helped her to her feet again and was about to pick her up, bridal style, when she stopped me. Without a word she started towards her house again. It was evident from the grimace on her face that she was in a great amount of pain.

'_So stubborn.'_

She stumbled again and being the gentleman that I am I took her arm to steady her. She did not object verbally to this, so we entered her house together.

She led us to her kitchen and slumped immediately onto a stool. Waving her hand limply she said "Cupboard below the sink." Her voice was weak. I pulled out a small first aid kit and placed it next to her on the counter. Glancing down at her leg I sighed and cleared my throat.

"You will need to remove your pants if I am to properly see the wound." Much to my relief she did not seem as outraged as I had anticipated. Rather, she sighed in a resigned, tired sort of way and reached for the kit.

"I can bandage it myself, don't worry." There was a pause as she unravelled the gauze "You'll have to show yourself out." I was tempted by her offer, I must admit. But, I reminded myself, if I were to learn anything about her I needed to see this through. People are most emotionally vulnerable when in pain, after all. Besides, I doubted she knew what she was doing: she had not even got out the disinfectant. Rolling my eyes I eased the gauze out of her hands and, ignoring her protests, gave her the sternest glare I could muster.

"Your jumper is more than long enough, now stop being stubborn and let me see it before it becomes infected. Look, I'll even turn around until you're ready." I turned my back to her before she could argue again. Hearing her muttering angrily under her breath I managed to suppress my grin until something clattered to the floor followed by a light yelp.

"Stupid first aid kit with its stupid dish." My grin widened. I cleared my throat loudly again.

"Is it safe to turn back around now? Or would you like to destroy a few more things first?"

"It's safe." She answered in a voice that clearly longed to say something more offensive.

She was still perched on the stool but her pants were folded and sitting neatly across the section of her lap that her jumper did not cover.

**E.D'S POV**

Okay, I'll admit that I was being stubborn, but to be fair, he did just ask me to take my pants off. I mean, yes I had accidentally dropped my pliers and cut my leg, and yes I was in a lot of pain, but I've dealt with worse. This was just… _awkward. _I relented when I saw that he didn't plan on going anywhere (and to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, but there was no way I was going to admit that to him), thankful for my long jumper.

Getting my pants off without causing too much pain was difficult, to say the least, and completely unsuccessful. Somehow I managed to knock a small tray from the first aid kit onto the floor with a resounding clatter.

"Stupid first aid kit with its stupid dish." I muttered angrily under my breath. What is it even for anyway? Useless bloody thing. After a few moments more shark-boy piped up, his tone snide.

"Is it safe to turn around now? Or would you like to destroy a few more things first?" Grinding my teeth together, I considered letting him in on all the wonderfully British insults he was missing out on, but the searing pain in my thigh made me hold my tongue for the time being.

"It's safe." I spat. He turned around and his eyes darted to my leg with an expression of mild disgust.

"So filthy." He murmured. I rolled my eyes.

"Gee, thanks."

After rummaging through the first aid kit he extracted some alcohol swabs and gingerly dabbed at the wound. I couldn't help the hiss that whistled past my clenched teeth; Edd didn't even look up.

"It isn't as deep and I thought; just a graze, really."

'_Easy for you to say, ass.'_

"You shouldn't do a lot of physical activity for a few days though; let it heal over properly."

_There goes my dream of joining the relay team then.'_

What are these other scars from?"

'_I had a disagreement with a feisty sharp-toothed midget – wait –'_

"What?"

"These other scars," Edd repeated, "how did you get them?" I gulped.

'_Bugger, I forgot about those.'_

"That's none of your business."

"Oh come on Edwina," he shot me a sly smirk "I can keep a secret." I sighed in what I hoped was a defeated manner.

"I fell on broken glass when I was little."

'_Well it's not a _complete _lie.'_

There was silence for a moment, and I was beginning to think my performance had been so flawless I had moved him to speechlessness.

"You're lying." He said eventually, startling me from my inner award ceremony.

"I – what? No, I'm not."

"Yes you are, these scars are too long to be the result of just a fall. These seem more like the result of dragging."

"Maybe I fell on a slippery surface and slid, ever think of that, smart ass?"

'_Nice save.'_

"Yes, I did. But," he grabbed my hands and flipped them over before I could react "if you fell, your hands would be scarred as well, yet they are fine; if you don't count the knuckles."

_Okay that's just not fair. Who are you, Sherlock-flipping-Holmes?'_

"So I shall ask again: how did you get these scars?" I glared at him stubbornly.

"I'll say it again: that's none of your business."

"The moment you let me into your house and accepted my help enough to actually take your pants off, it became my business."

"Alright, fine you nosey ponce! There was a girl who didn't particularly like me, and yes, she dragged me through broken glass one time; she was messed up and went to a mental hospital a few months later. Are you done now? I'd like to watch a movie." I spoke as quickly as possible and the following silence was uncomfortable, to say the least. Edd was almost finished with the bandaging and he cast his eyes down to focus on it.

"So you were bullied as a child." It wasn't a question.

"No. Yes. Bollocks, I don't know; you think whatever you want to think." He had finished wrapping my leg. He looked up, and call me crazy, but I swore I could detect a hint of triumph in his otherwise blank expression.

"I shall do just that. Enjoy your movie, Edwina." With one final shark grin he sauntered out of my kitchen. I held my breath until I heard the front door open and close, at which I exhaled noisily through my mouth.

Easing off the stool I hobbled around the kitchen, collecting the necessary junk food, including reheated pizza and garlic bread.

"I need a laugh… Bridget Jones, here I come."


End file.
